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During the morning worship, Tito Ricky shared a beautiful article for leaders. It was also emailed to us and I am posting it here for everybody to read. :)
*Click the link to view original article.* Top 10 "Old School" Checklist for Leaders by Dan Reiland1. CourteousAt no time is it appropriate for a leader to be rude. Misused power and authority is at least in poor taste and may at times be an indication of a leader’s character. Kindness is a fruit of the Spirit and a courteous nature is deeply interwoven within kindness. Courteous doesn't mean lacking in strength or unable to make tough decisions. It reflects more an attitude of consideration for the disposition of other human beings. That is never Old School.2. Industrious Most of the leaders I know are hardworking people. They are committed to the mission and take their responsibilities seriously. They treat the meaning of their paycheck with honor rather than entitlement. I will admit, however, that I have met a gr…

This weekend, I was privileged to deliver the third talk in my cluster's two ongoing Christian Life Programs. Yesterday in Kabisig, and this afternoon in Riverside. :) For this post, allow me to share the important points discussed in the talk. I. Incomplete Notions/Misconceptions about Christianity Mere religious system: set of doctrines, set of religious practices, knowing God and doing things for HimMere moral system: set of do's and don'ts, set of rules, avoiding things that make you go to hellSocial, humanitarian systemEscape from the realities of lifeII. What Christianity Is: Union with God made possible through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ III. Some Important Truths About Christianity: Relationship initiated by God (By grace we have been saved.)We become a new creation.We share on the nature of God: HOLINESS.IV. Practical Implications God is our Father. We can trust Him. (Jeremiah 29:11)Our Father knows our needs. He will provide for us. (Luke 12:22-31)We…

Couples for Christ is one with the Filipino nation in celebrating Family Week. According to Presidential Proclamation No. 60, the last week of September is the Family Week while the fourth Sunday of the same month is Family Thanksgiving Day as stated in Presidential Proclamation No. 847. There is also a separate agreement between the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the National Committee for Filipino Families (NCFF) to declare the fourth Monday of September as Filipino Family Day, inspired by Lucky Me's Kainang Pamilya Mahalaga advocacyand their annual FaMEALy Day.

One of CFC's activities for the Family Week is the Family Dinner which is set tonight (September 27). The inspiration came from Berni Dymetwho said that there are three basic things we must do to stop our family from falling apart: eat, play, and pray. :)
The mechanics is simple. You just have to eat together, affirm one another, and pray with and for each other. Read the full mechanics her…

In the last two years, I've been winning either a BDJ Planner or a Forget Me Not product. This year, in as much as I wanted to join the BDJ Veterans Promo, I don't have an Instagram account (you see, the only gadgets that I have are my Nokia X101 phone and Samsung Netbook), and I thought it would be cooler if I'll have my name printed on the cover of my planner. :D So, I'm joining this, instead:

I admit, I can sometimes be a stalker. :D And guess where my curiosity led me this time?
To this:

The Solemnizing Officers Information System (SOIS) is basically a repository of all solemnizing officers duly recognized by the Office of the Civil Registrar General. If you're getting married and you want to make sure that the priest/pastor who will officiate your wedding is licensed to do so, you can check out SOIS. :)
In my case, aliw lang makita ang profiles ng mga kilala kong pari. :D
Here is Cardinal Tagle's profile:

As you can see, he is allowed to preside wedding masses until December 31 only. So if you want him to solemnize your wedding, better contact him soon. But if you're not in a hurry, you can wait until he renews his registration, probably next year. :D
Interestingly, I did not find Fr. Joel Jason's records. That means he is not authorized to sign marriage contracts until he registers again. :)
I congratulate NSO for coming up with this tool. As a taxp…

"Ano pa gid ang ginapangita mo? Hindi ka sagad kapangita sang wala."
When I learned that I will be one of the participants in the pilot run of the revised Crossroads Weekend, I was very happy and at the same time excited. For months, I have been waiting for God's answers to the so many questions that I have in mind especially when it comes to my vocation. In less than a month, I'll be another year older and I'm really eager to know where the Lord is leading me. Of course I have set directions for myself, but as they always say, God's ways are not our ways, and so I'd like to confirm if the road I'm taking is not bringing me farther from the fulfillment of my two-fold mission: God's glorification and my sanctification.
From the opening worship that Saturday afternoon until the praisefest yesterday, I was conversing with my God. Amazingly, the songs chosen by the worship leaders were personal favorites, and the very songs to which I could relate. …

If you liked it, then you should have put a ring on it...
Sounds familiar? Of course! It's Beyonce's famous song, which was alsoDaleDiva's winning performance piece in the talent show Don't Stop Believing. :)

I remembered the song because we were discussing about cohabitation last night, and over the weekend, I was at the Crossroads Retreat which talked about the three vocations: married life, religious life, and single-blessedness.
Sadly, many couples nowadays find it costly to get married. Thus, they resolve to cohabitation. I learned this several years ago: live in = living in sin. And while the Catholic church is consistent in teaching the importance of marriage in building a family and it being the only moral way of procreating, cohabitation still thrives. Unmarried couples who live together have found a seemingly good rationale: they wanted to see if they really would get along well. But studies have proven otherwise.
I was never a fan of cohabitation and I was…

It was supposed to be an ordinary Friday except that I didn't have any scheduled activity in the evening - no service meeting, no household, no anything... so that makes it extraordinary. :D

I was already excited to go home, watch the ending of Mundo Mo'y Akin, and have dinner with the family. But God had other plans. At exactly 3pm, while we were praying the Chaplet of the Divine Mercy, I received an email from a sister with the subject "Talk Giver for CLP." After the 3 o'clock prayer, I read the contents of the email. The sister invites me to be the talk giver for the Christian Life Program which is scheduled that very same night. She said the original speaker backed out the last minute and all the other possible speakers didn't confirm. I was her last resort. Was it because I was wearing the Jesus Doodle shirt that time? :)

I wanted to say no but I had no valid reason. And so I accepted the invitation.

I was and still am a great fan of Westlife. Yes, that Irish pop group which dominated the 90's music charts. My high school group was even named "Westlife sisters" because obviously, we were crazy about the men who sang My Love, World of Our Own, Flying Without Wings, and many other love songs which moved countless young hearts. :)
I was a super fan. I would save my school allowance just to be able to buy Westlife merchandise from tapes to CDs to magazines to posters to everything I can afford. Included in my Bucket List is to go to Ireland and personally meet them. Among the five members, I fell desperately in love with Shane Filan. I loved him so much that I was badly hurt when he got married to Gillian Walsh.

Sadly, the boys had to go separate ways. Aside from having their own families, they also have their own careers now. And my darling Shane is having a Philippine promo tour next weekend!

Two days ago, I got a very tempting offer from my brother. He shared to me t…

It's good to be reminded once in a while, especially when you have so many things to do and think about.
This morning, Lawrence forwarded the email below with the following message: Baka daw makalimutan mo, sabi ng Tigerair. :)
I've been travelling via plane since 2009 but this is my first time to receive a flight reminder and I really commend Tiger Airwaysfor this great initiative. :)
A flight may not be something one could easily forget, but it still helps to be reminded of it. In my case, I was even more excited to leave when I got the email. :D
And yes, I will see you tomorrow, Iloilo! ♥
But if there's one thing we need to remind ourselves about every single day, it is this: We are LOVED by a great GOD. And that is enough inspiration to get through even the most difficult days. :)

I was preparing for our cluster assembly last Saturday when I noticed the beautiful sunset. I got the camera, took a photo of it, and excitedly shared the photo to Papa, Mama, and Arnold.
They all agreed it was beautiful. Then Papa got up and also took a photo using his camera phone. And he exclaimed, "Tingnan niyo o, mas maganda ang kuha ko!" (Look! Mine's better.)
We just all laughed and said, "Ikaw na, Pa."
Papa and I share a lot in common. Aside from physical features (Papa was also petite when he was still single), including illnesses, we also think alike. We both love relating to people, we increase our knowledge by reading books, we strengthen our faith by reading the Bible and attending Catholic formation seminars, we enjoy music (he plays the guitar, by the way.. and I.. just sing :D), and we find fulfillment in sharing our thoughts on certain issues. In short, we are fond of discussions - healthy and sensible ones. :)
No doubt about it, we are a ca…

I have always admired Joey De Leon's wit, and just recently I decided to follow him on Twitter.
I came across one of the articles he wrote for The Philippine Star and it's just too beautiful that I got inspired to blog about it.
The title says it all: Go and Travel. The author shared that when you rearrange the letters in the words "good life", you'll come up with this statement: DO LIFE... GO!GO.Short but powerful statement. It probably is the shortest sentence which calls for action. Go.
During the World Youth Day closing mass in Brazil, Pope Francis' message was simple:
1. Go.
2. Do not be afraid.
3. Serve.
Those were the same statements delivered by Bishop Honesto Ontiongco of the Diocese of Cubao during his homily at the ANCOP Global Walk last August 25.
In today's mass, Fr. Benedict Lagarde urged us to go and tell stories of the Lord's goodness.
Life is really all about doing and going. To be fully alive is to act and make something beautif…

Lord, as I move through this day, my desire is to serve You according to Your will for my life. Help me, Father - to take each step according to Your wisdom, to be guided with clear vision, to minister with a spirit of humility, to touch lives with the hands of compassion, to listen with understanding, to do my work with excellence. I ask You to bless my going out and coming in. My prayer is to succeed in a way that will fully honor You and demonstrate Your heart to others. -Roy Lessin

After two years, he finally proposed. In a previous interview, he said he dreamed of having a family and kids.
I just don't know how he would be able to do that with a fellow man.
Yes, I'm talking about Lance Bass, member of 'N Sync who sang three of my favorite love songs of all time: This I Promise You, A Little More Time On You, and That's When I'll Stop Loving You.
Actually, this post is not about him. It's just that when I clicked on the "New Post" button in Blogger, I heard over Mellow his recent engagement. It was shocking news for me, thus the title and the intro of this post. (Honestly, I really couldn't think of an appropriate title.)
Now on to the real topic.
I went to St. Camillus this morning for my follow-up check-up. Dr. Belinda Fidel told me I wouldn't graduate yet from therapy because nodules are still all over my back. Well, I have scoliosis (S curve), myofascial pain syndrome (MPS), and fibromyalgia, based on my medical…

*Sector Household Topic
"If the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us?" (Judges 6:13)
Jesus promised that He would be with us always even until the end of the world (Mt 28:20). If this is true, why have so many of us suffered tragedies? When Gideon asked this question, the Lord didn't explain the past. Rather, He called Gideon a "champion" and commanded him to go and change his tragedies into blessings (Judges 6:14). The Lord is calling us to do the same.
At first, Gideon didn't obey the Lord, but complained that he was too insignificant to change the world (Judges 6:15). Then the Lord said again that He would be with Gideon (Judges 6:16) and thereby assure him of success.
Gideon found this hard to believe, so he asked the Lord for a sign or two or three (Judges 6:17, 36, 39). Finally, Gideon believed the Lord and then defeated his enemies to set the chosen people free. We are all Gideons. We may be paralyzed by tragedy, complaining to the Lord, d…